10 GB Skateboarders strive for Olympic points at prestigious SLS event in London

One the biggest global skateboarding spectacles will return to London at the end of May. The SLS World Tour will be once again grace the shores of the UK, with one of the largest events in the skateboarding calendar.

This year SLS will have a multi-round format, including a Global Open Round, where more skaters will have the opportunity to work their way up the rankings and solidify a spot on the SLS World Tour. That means more skateboarders from all over the world will now have a shot at making it into SLS, as well as gaining Olympic qualifying points!

Ten GB skateboarders will aim to qualify for the finals. Alex Dechuna, Joe Hinson, Aaron Jago, Helena Long, Aimy Brady and Roxanna Howlett have been selected based on Aspiration Funding and National Championships placing. As the home nation, World Skate has given Great Britain four additional ‘Wildcard’ places to Jordan Sharkey, George Poole, Clive Dixon and Lucy Adams.

The qualifying competitions will take place between 21st – 23rd May at BaySixty6 Skatepark in London, with the top 10 male and top 12 females progressing to the quarter-finals at the weekend.

During the main event at the weekend, which takes place at the Copperbox Arena, will see the biggest international pro’s compete, these include Nyjah Huston, Jamie Foy, Chris Joslin, Louie Lopez, Leticia Bufoni, Mariah Duran and many more.

Joe Hinson, who recently won the National Championships in April, said “I am hugely excited to have been given this opportunity to skate at SLS. It is known as one of the best skateboard competitions in the world and having the possibility to compete here in the UK is mind-blowing”.

This all comes as World Skate announced yesterday that the Street Skateboarding World Championships will be hosted in London in May 2020. It will be final event of the SLS Tour, featuring the highest stakes event of the season, deciding the 2020 Street Skateboarding World Champions and the official roster of 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games qualifiers.

James Hope-Gill, CEO at Skateboard GB, said “We are delighted that World Skate have chosen the UK to host the Street Skateboarding World Championships in 2020. Holding the event in London will certainly raise the profile of skateboarding in the UK and will help to inspire thousands to try skateboarding in the country”.

Qualifying for the competition will take place on Friday 24th May with tickets available for two days of competition on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th. The men’s and the women’s finals will take place on Sunday with semi-finals taking place the previous day.

For more information and to buy tickets click visit www.seetickets.co.uk or the SLS website.